Blinded
by toothlessturtle21
Summary: After a brutal Serpentine attack, Zane is left blind, with no hope of recovery. How can someone be a ninja with no sight? That's the question he wished he knew the answer to as he has to adjust to life with no vision. Rated T for (fake) blood, pain, and overall depressing thoughts.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Starting off another new story, yay! The story takes place sometime before the golden weapons were destroyed, because the ninja use them and their vehicles. Just as a warning, I mention something pretty brutal in this chapter, so if you're not up for it, then feel free to skip the second half of the chapter once I split it with a line. Enjoy the first chapter of my latest twisted creation, Blinded.**

* * *

Sirens blared, startling the ninja all across the Bounty. Zane had barely been able to catch the spoon he was using to taste his newest dish, Kai had dropped the sword he was sparring Jay with, and the Lightning Ninja yelped when it almost hit his foot. Cole and Lloyd dropped their controllers in surprise, and cried out in frustration when the screen flashed with a game-ending message.

The ninja all met in the control room at the same time, with varying degrees of annoyance. Nya and Sensei showed up as well, but they seemed more composed than the other five.

"Serpentine... again? Today's supposed to be our day off," Cole slapped a hand to his forehead.

"I wound not be so hasty, Cole. There seems to be a large gathering. Approximately 225% larger than our usual tussle," Zane frowned, noting the abnormally large number of black dots, indicating that more than half of the snakes were of the Constrictai tribe. The other part was made primarily of Hypnobrai, indicating that Skales and Skalidor were the leaders of the event.

"Thanks for lifting my spirits," Kai grumbled, and inspected the map. "Looks like we're in for a big fight."

"Well, let's get going. They won't go away with us just sitting here!" Jay put his hand out, waiting for the others to join.

They smiled, and cheered as they spun into tornados of color, each ninja emerging wearing their respective ninja gi.

"Good luck, hot head," Nya gave Kai a quick squeeze and sent him on his way. The ninja whooped as they tumbled through the air, Jay striking poses every five seconds.

Soon enough, they summoned their vehicles and landed a few hundred yards away from the largest Serpentine gathering they had seen since Pythor's first attempt to unite them.

"Holy smokes. That's a lot of snakes," Jay whistled, receiving an eye roll from Kai.

"One hundred and ten. Sixty seven of them belong to the Constrictai tribe," Zane calculated.

"Wow. I'm impressed by the amount of snakes and your math skills," Cole nodded, and the team advanced.

They paused and spread out when they reached the tree line before the small clearing. The surrounded the snakes, each with their own elemental weapon ready to strike. Zane sat still, knowing that his suit was the hardest to camouflage, since it was a dense and fairly dark forest. At the small spark of Jay's nunchucks as the signal, Cole summoned his vehicle and plowed into the crowd, knocking snakes down left and right. The afternoon sun gleamed off their shiny scales, a sight that was oddly calming, considering the circumstances.

Meanwhile, the others proved backup, fighting the others that Cole didn't ram. The air was a mess of hisses and yells, mostly from the snakes. The team had learned that if you fight enough of the reptiles, they'll eventually just retreat and run off, but they seemed to be holding up well this time.

Zane was having the most difficulty for sure. Did they normally fight this hard? Not to mention both Skales and Skalidor were among the mix as well. Didn't they have anyone better to target, like Lloyd? But they weren't throwing punches like they usually were. They seemed to be aiming for his legs, trying to knock him on the floor. The Ice Ninja knew something was up, but couldn't exactly escape with the circle of Serpentine surrounding him. Zane was kicking them away with his shurikens and his katana, but the long tails of the generals proved to be overwhelming.

Zane let out a weak gasp as his back hit the ground rather hard, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out him. As he lay in shock for a split second, he expected a blade to come down into his chest, or maybe his neck. But instead, they grabbed his legs, dragging him into the nearby forest.

Zane grabbed at the ground with what little strength he had, but he gripped nothing but stray leaves and grass. Once he has been scraped along the floor for a bit, they let go, Skalidor's tail choosing instead to wrap around his stomach and arms, holding him to a root underneath him. As his strength returned, Zane struggled against the general's tail, but he wouldn't budge.

"So they should be here then," Skales muttered to himself, accenting his S's with a drawn out hiss. "This is too much trouble for such a simple task."

"What could you possibly want from me?" Zane spat with as much air as he could muster.

"You'll see," Skales grinned, and grabbed Zane's face in his hands. The Ice Ninja squirmed under his cold touch, his scaly fingers trailing along Zane's eyes. He nodded, and let go of his eyes to grab a sharp, curved dagger.

"Sorry, White Ninja. You have something we need." Skales grinned maliciously, and raised the weapon. Zane barely had time to process the situation before it was dug into his right eye.

* * *

Back on the battle field, the others were having a surprisingly easy time.

"Hey, Jay, how're you doing?" Kai called, a bit bored with the battle. For there being such a large number of Serpentine, they weren't putting up much of a fight.

"Good. You?" Jay responded, accompanied by the clang of metal on metal as a snake struck Jay's fortified arm on his uniform.

"Good," Kai sighed. The fight continued on for a few more minutes, until the team heard a familiar voice.

"Retreat!" Skales called, and the Serpentine withdrew immediately. Helicopters appeared above, collecting the reptiles before the team could gather together.

The team let them leave, figuring it wasn't worth a fight. It was only when they looked around they noticed something off.

"Where's Zane?" Lloyd gulped, and the team felt their stomachs drop.

"I knew something was up," Cole grumbled, cursing himself for not following his gut.

They fanned out, searching the surround woods, desperately calling out the nindroid's name.

It was Jay who first uncovered the brutal scene. Fake blood covered the Nindroid's face, staining the ground below him. Both eyes were dug out, leaving gaps were the cameras that provided Zane with sight should've been.

"Guys!" Jay weakly called out, feeling faint just looking at the unconscious Ice Ninja. He looked straight out of a horror movie, like a haunted doll. The blood streaming from his eyes and the porcelain skin completed the look. How long had he been awake? Had he clonked out early, or had he endured the pain until Jay arrived?

A sharp gasp surprised the Lightning Ninja as Kai joined him.

"What did they do to him?" Kai whispered in a horrified tone as he crept over to the body, going to check for a sign of the nindroid being alive.

Kai worked up the courage to rest a hand against his chest, and felt a faint hum that indicated that Zane wasn't dead.

More worried and then horrified ninja arrived, until Jay worked up the sense to call the Bounty, although all he could manage were a few choked out cries for help.

All Lloyd could do was whimper as he rested Zane's head against his lap, red staining his pants around his knees and ankles. Cole sat against a tree with his head in his knees, doing all he could not to throw up at the sight of his friend. Kai just stood there with tears pricking the edges of eyes, like the rest of his team had.

* * *

Once the Bounty arrived, Nya and Jay spent hours with the blacked out ninja, trying to salvage what they could from his sockets. But it soon became clear enough that the parts they need for Zane were no longer produced, and that the Ice Ninja was fully blind.

"They just dug out the cameras, along with all of the wires that surround them. I knew the Serpentine played dirty, but this is horrible, even for them," Nya grimaced, her hand ghosting along the edges of Zane's empty sockets.

The rest of the team sat in sickened silence, not wanting to move or do anything while their brother was in critical condition. It was when Jay finally stepped out of the workshop, exhausted and his hands stained with fake blood, that the first words were spoken in hours.

"We've done all we can do. He's blind."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the support on the first chapter! Poor Zane's gonna have quite the lifestyle adjustment to make, huh? Also, Fanart Samurai, I can't figure out to access the link you posted. Could you help me out? I'd love to see what you've done!**

* * *

"Here are the cameras you sent for, sir," Skalidor nodded, handing over the machinery.

"Where did you find these? I thought they no longer made cameras of this type?" Garmadon, baffled, turned them over in his hands.

"We had to do a bit of dirty work," Skales shrugged, giving Skalidor a knowing smirk.

"Like what?" Garmadon furrowed his eyebrows, searching his mind for any place where you might find such rare technology.

"Let's just say the white ninja may be out of order," Skales chuckled, and Garmadon's eyes went wide.

"You didn't..."

"No, he's not dead. Yet, anyway. Depends if you need any more parts," Skalidor joined in on the conversation, and Skales nodded his agreement.

Garmadon thought for a moment, and then an idea came to mind.

"Actually, there would be something rather useful to me. But it would require a bit more than just tearing out some cameras," He warned the snakes, who waved off his concerns.

"I just ripped out someone's eyes. I think I can handle it," Skales tapped his tail impatiently.

"If I am correct, his power source is unique in power and function," Garmadon began.

"I like where this conversation is going," Skalidor cracked his knuckles, and Skales whacked him with his tail.

"Continue," The Hypnobrai hissed.

"I can do the dirty work myself. If you can just get him here, then your job will be done. And you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts. Deal?"

"Of course. Sounds easy enough. I would imagine he's not too big of a threat now," Skalidor turned to Skales, who nodded.

"Deal."

* * *

It had been five hours since Zane had woken up from his pain-induced slumber. He hadn't quite accepted his fate, and was still trying to reason with himself.

"Maybe I can just... no, no," He frowned, burying his face in a pillow.

What purpose was there in a blind ninja? Sight was what told him the odds of a battle, or the location of his targets. He may of built to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, but what good was that when he couldn't even help himself?

"Zane?" Kai's muffled voice came from outside his bedroom door. "You've been in there for hours. Why don't you just come out and... do something. I don't even care what it is. You've just been in there for so long."

"And what would that be? Play video games? Cook? Read? Train? All things I can't do?" Zane asked, his voice muffled by the pillow still shoved on his face.

Kai didn't answer right away, and Zane thought maybe he'd driven the Fire Ninja away. But he heard the door open and a weight soon settled next to him.

"Listen, Zane. I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now. But we're not going to send you out on the street just because you may not be able to fight with us," Kai gently moved the pillow off of Zane's face, hoping to make some sort of dramatic eye contact that would reassure the Ice Ninja. But he ended up feeling stupid once he remembered that it wasn't possible anymore.

"Thank you, Kai, but I'm fine. Really," Zane curled up on his side, facing the wall away from the Fire Ninja.

"Don't make me get Jay in here. Because once he gets going there's no stopping him. I'm not afraid to use that on you," Kai chuckled, hoping to force a small smile out of his friend, but was only greeted with silence. "Well, sorry I couldn't help," He sighed, feeling a bit bad that some of his annoyance made his way into his voice.

"Thank you for trying," Zane said, barely audible, and Kai quietly shut the door, the click of his bedroom lock being the only thing that alerted him that he was alone once more.

"This is horrible! I know this is really devastating and all, but I can't even get the guy off his bed, let alone actually get a decent conversation out of him," Kai flopped on the couch, and the others let out varying sounds of disappointment.

"Here, let me go-" Jay went to exit, but Kai stopped him.

"Probably not the best idea. I tried to jokingly threaten him with the idea of you talking him to death, so he might not take it too well," Kai realized this would bite him in the butt as Jay sat down, a scowl on his face.

"Then who's going to go comfort him?"

"I guess I could try, but I doubt I'm going to do much," Cole shook his head.

"Then it's me, by process of elimination," Lloyd stood.

"Hey," Nya grumbled from the back.

"Why, would you like to try and talk to him?" Kai turned to her, a teasing look on his face.

"No, I would just like to remind you that I'm here too," She chuckled a cushion at her brother, who chuckled and threw it on the floor.

"I guess you'll know if it's successful or not by the look on my face when I come back," Lloyd shrugged, and went down the hall to find Zane's room.

Just as Lloyd walked out, Sensei walked in. The team realized all at once that he had left the Bounty while they were still on the mission, and had yet to hear about the Ice Ninja's condition.

"How'd the mission go?" He asked, sipping a thermos of tea. The team exchanged nervous glances, and their mentor caught on. "What happened? I just saw Lloyd in the hallway, but where is Zane?"

"In his room," Kai answered, relieved that a question was asked that he knew the answer to.

"Why is he not with all of you?" Sensei relaxed a bit, the fact the Zane was on the Bounty consoling him.

"Um... I don't know how to put it lightly, so I'll put it bluntly. The Serpentine ripped out his eyes. He's blind," Jay relayed, his eyes on the floor. The tea canister was dropped to the floor as Sensei raced down the hall to Zane's room. He found Lloyd working up the courage to knock, and he jumped in surprise.

"Sensei, what are-"

Lloyd was interrupted as Wu entered the Ice Ninja's room without even a simple knock.

Zane jumped at the sudden noise, but barely had time to ask who the intruder was before he was turned onto his back.

"Zane, open your eyes," Sensei ordered, and the Ice Ninja shook his head.

"They're horrible. I've been told they're-"

"I don't care about your appearance, Zane. Please," He asked in a much nicer tone, and the Ice Ninja slowly opened his eyes to reveal two milky glass orbs where his eyes should be.

"Jay pointed out that I appear that I've been possessed by a demon of sorts. Of course, I wouldn't know," Zane admitted glumly. He sat up, bringing his knees up to his chest.

"Zane, I..." Sensei stopped. What was he going to say? He couldn't promise a happy ending or a cure. For once, the cryptic wisdom spouting Sensei was speechless.

"Please, leave me be. Go enjoy time with the others. I'm sure they'll provide much more interesting conversation," Zane offered, a sad smile threatening to appear. He was prepared for the weight to leave his bed, but instead he was wrapped in a hug by another one. Lloyd had heard the exchange, and was done hearing Zane push people away.

Surprised by the action, the Ice Ninja stiffened.

"We're not going to let you isolate yourself, Zane. You're still a part of the team, whether you think you are or not," Lloyd felt Zane relax, but the Ice Ninja didn't respond.

Wu, sensing that Zane required some company, took a gentle hold on the Nindroid's arm.

"I suggest that talking with the others will help you, Zane. They might give you a new perspective," He tugged Zane off the bed, to which he promptly walked into the doorframe.

Lloyd sighed, a smile playing on his lips as he watched Zane sheepishly rub his head.

"Let me help," The Green Ninja took Zane's hand in his, and the Ice Ninja reluctantly followed him down the hall towards the rest of the crew, who were eagerly awaiting the Ice Ninja's company.


	3. Chapter 3

"Glad to see you're up," Cole smiled when Lloyd entered, pulling a disoriented Zane behind him.

"Yeah, we were starting to worry about you," Jay added on.

"What for?" Zane asked glumly, settling down into a corner of the couch.

"Well, you seemed really depressed. I mean, it's completely justifiable, your eyes _were_ just ripped out, and... I'm not helping. Somebody else explain, please," Jay felt his cheeks redden at how completely insensitive he sounded.

"We just wanted to make sure you were doing ok," Cole half heartedly smiled, and Zane shrugged.

"I've certainly been better," He hugged his arms to his chest, hating how _small_ he felt without his sight. He brought his legs up so he was sitting in the space of a couch cushion.

"Zane, we want to help you, but you've got to help yourself first. Just talk to us, please," Cole moved over closer to the Ice Ninja, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"About what? What more is there to say?" Zane suddenly felt like teleporting back to his room, as long as it meant avoiding being confronted about anything. Any other day, he might've excused himself quickly to go meditate and get his mind off things. But attempting that now would only lead to more injury.

"Just tell us how we can help you get over this," Kai said, getting more and more aggravated with the Nindroid's lack of compliance.

"Please, don't trouble yourselves, I'm fine," Zane seemed to shrink lower into the portion of the couch he was currently seated in.

"Really? Because you can't even walk without crashing into doorframes," Lloyd pointed out, and there was no comeback from the Ice Ninja.

"Now, I'm going to ask again, just _talk_ to us," Cole pleaded, and Zane gave a small sigh, and hoisted himself higher, apparently giving up.

"As you wish," He surrendered.

"Great, now that you've agreed to open up a bit, do you want to do something to get your mind off things? Like... um..." Cole thought, and Zane shook his head.

"You don't need to tailor anything for me. I'll participate in whatever you choose," Zane reassured him.

"There's a good horror movie on tonight, just putting that out there," Kai winked, and Cole rolled his eyes.

"Ok, ok. Is that good with everyone?" He asked, and was greeted with confirmations, even from Zane, who just nodded.

Later that night, the lights were off, and everyone was ready to be scared.

Jay and Lloyd had chosen the floor in front of the couch, blankets and pillows piled up six feet high. Kai and Zane had taken the couch, and Cole and Nya had each chosen a chair.

It did feel a bit eerie in the room, with only the faint white light from the TV illuminating the ninja. The beginning started off easy enough, with the main scares coming later. As soon as it happened though, there was an immediate response from everyone.

They all yelped, but Zane was only startled by the screams of the others. That, and the fact that Kai had accidently spilt some of his drink on Zane's leg.

"I sincerely hope that is the soda you're drinking," Zane half smiled.

"Yes, it is," Kai rolled his eyes at the Ice Ninja's jab, and Jay couldn't help but chuckle.

The movie continued on, the tension rising as the build up to the climax went on. Soon, Kai happened to glance over at the Ice Ninja, who hadn't spoken in a while. He was curled up against the arm of the couch, using the end as a pillow.

"Zane?" Kai whispered, not sure if the Nindroid was awake or not. No response told him that he had fallen asleep.

"Is he awake?" Lloyd turned around, and Kai shook his head. 'We should probably get him in bed before we scare him with our screaming."

"I'll take care of it," Kai nodded, and picked him up bridal style, carrying him out.

Just as he reached Zane's door, his eyes fluttered open a bit.

"Who's there?" He asked sleepily as the Fire Ninja opened his door.

"Kai. You feel asleep," He laid the Ice Ninja down on his bed.

"I can tell. My apologies for being angry with you earlier," He found the edge of his covers and slipped in, sighing contently.

"That's ok. It's gonna take a while to get adjusted. The whole Bounty has to change what we do. We can't just leave all of our crap anymore," Kai chuckled, and Zane nodded.

"Goodnight, Kai," He said, turning on his side.

"G'night, Zane," The Fire Ninja smiled and shut his door, and then heard the others scream, which meant the biggest scare had happened.

"Aw man, I missed it," Kai grumbled, and hurried back to the movie.

* * *

Zane went to sleepily open his eyes the next morning, and was jarred for a moment by the darkness before his brain caught up to his actions. He remembered the events of the previous day, and shuddered at the memory of feeling Skales scrape around inside of his face.

"Zane," Cole called out, knocking heavily on his door. "It's almost eight. Breakfast is ready."

"I'll be out soon," Zane replied, and took a deep breath in. He could do this.

Zane shuffled to the end of his bed and lowered his feet to the floor, standing up. Now came the harder part. He carefully felt his way down the hall, listening to the sound of his brothers grow closer. Once it sounded like they were right next to him, he felt for the doorframe, turned the corner, and smacked right into Jay.

"Ah! Oh, hey Zane. I was just coming to see if you made it out alright," He explained, pulling the Ice Ninja towards his seat.

"Thank you," Zane nodded, and then he realized that eating without vision was going to be significantly more difficult.

"Morning, Frosty," Kai greeted, pressing a mug of tea into Zane fingers.

"Good morning, Kai," He gratefully accepted the drink, and took a sip.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Lloyd asked, and Jay popped into the kitchen.

"Pancakes. I don't really have the skill to do much else," He chuckled, bringing out a big platter of food.

"That's fine with me," Kai agreed.

Zane didn't say anything, lost in thought.

"Hey Zane, you ok?" THe Fire Ninja nudged him to bring him out of whatever zone he was in.

Zane snapped awake, and then sighed.

"I was just thinking about how much more difficult eating with no vision is," He shrugged, and Kai realized that as well.

"I guess I never thought of that. I could always feed you like a baby," The Fire Ninja smirked, and Zane frowned and shook his head, red tinging his cheeks.

"Sorry, not helping. Um..." Kai couldn't help but smile at the Ice Ninja's rare embarrassment.

"I supposed I just have to eat rather carefully," Zane tapped his fingers on the plate in front of him.

"Yeah," Kai shrugged, and put a few pancakes on his friend's plate.

"There you go, two pancakes. Enjoy."

* * *

"So, uh, boss? What exactly do you want this power source thingy for?" Skalidor asked, looking up from his copy of the plans.

"My secret weapon for the Final Battle. If it's going to work the way I think it is, then it will win the fight quite easily. But enough about that. When are you and Skales planning on leaving?" Garmadon asked.

"Uh, any time, I guess. He's the one with the plan," The Serpent shrugged.

"Hmph. Well, I want him sooner rather than later, understood?" Garmadon confirmed, and he nodded.

"Yes sir."


	4. Chapter 4

**HOLY CRAP FANART SAMURAI I FEEL SO BLESSED AND HONORED AND AMAZING RIGHT NOW THANK YOU SO MUCH! If anyone hasn't seen it, search up the link she posted in the reviews! It's awesome and deserves to be seen by everyone! If the link doesn't work, her DeviantArt is TitaniumPikachu46. Enjoy the (really late) chap!**

* * *

Not knowing what time it is really seems to slow down your day. Zane learned this the hard way after asking Cole, to which the Earth Ninja responded that it was eleven thirty.

"It's still morning? I could've sworn it was late afternoon," He grumbled to himself, but Cole heard it anyway.

"Feeling bored?" He smiled, and Zane nodded glumly.

"There's not exactly much I can do," The Nindroid frowned, and Cole grabbed the Ice Ninja's hand and pulled him along.

"I'm going to go outside and train a bit. I think you could use the fresh air. Maybe you could even try a bit of fighting," The Earth Ninja hinted, and Zane reluctantly followed.

"I can't guarantee any sort of physical activity, but I suppose some time outside would be nice," Zane admitted, and Cole smiled.

"Hey, at least it's something," He stopped when he reach the railing. The Bounty was currently anchored over a plain, which was perfect for plain combat training.

"Can you get down by yourself?" Cole turned and looked at Zane, who shrugged.

"I hope so. It's not really a sight based activity," He rested a hand on the side and felt the thick chains that led to the ground.

"Well, in that case, I'll you at the bottom," Cole said, and the sound of the links rattling told Zane that the Earth Ninja had left. He carefully felt the side until both hands were latch securely on the metal, and he was able to feel the cold iron through his gloves.

He took a deep breath, and left the deck, swinging around so his legs were curled around the chain as well. The wind shaped around him, his hair being ruffled by the gales. He concluded that this would be a much more enjoyable experience if he could see the view. Once he felt the time was right, he dragged his feet on the chains, gradually slowing himself down.

He must have started a bit too late, however, because he hit the ground a bit too fast. It wasn't enough to actually hurt him, but walking away from the anchor was not a pleasant experience. He must've showed it, because an arm found it's way under his own, holding him up.

"You ok?" Cole asked, a bit nervous. It wouldn't really look good if Zane broke anything after being with him for all of two minutes.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Zane pulled his arm out from under him, and tried his best to ignore the sharp pain in his step as he walked. "So, where are we, exactly?"

"We're in the South Ninjago Plains. We're camping here for a few nights unless something pops up," Cole led Zane over to a flat rock, and the Ice Ninja took the hint to sit.

"Alright, I'll be trying to focus, so-"

"Hey guys, you had the same idea, I guess," A new voice interrupted. Although Zane would never admit to it, the sudden change did startle him a bit. He internally scolded himself for jumping as Cole greeted the newcomer.

"Kai! Give us a warning or something time, will ya?" Cole chided, but he couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry, I thought you heard me. It's not my fault you're deaf," The Fire Ninja rolled his eyes, giving his friend a knock on the head.

"Your comedic timing needs some work," Cole pushed him away, giving Kai a stern look. The Fire Ninja realized his mistake and glanced towards Zane, who seemed pretty unaffected.

There was an awkward moment of silence that was only broken by Cole clearing his throat.

"There's a pond nearby that I was going to go chill at. Anyone care to join?" Cole offered, and Zane shook his head.

"Thank you, but I have something else planned."

"Suit yourself, Frosty. Usually you'd be all over a nice quiet place to relax," Cole shrugged, and Zane heard the rustling of the grass as Cole sauntered away.

"Spar me," Zane stood, a flash of determination crossing his features.

"What? Okay, you've lost it," Kai stated, dumbfounded.

"No, I want to try something. Do not go easy on me, please." He asked politely, and Kai sighed.

"Alright, alright. You're crazy, but fine. You sure you don't want me to go a little easier on you?"

"Please do not. Tell me when you're ready."

"No weapons?"

"I would prefer to leave the field alive, thank you."

"Jeez. Okay, three... two... one... go."

Zane had his eyes screwed tightly shut in concentration as Kai slowly circled him, unsure of how to go about this whole thing. The poor guy goes blind and then wants to fight again right after? Kai had discussed in a lengthy conversation with the rest of the crew, minus Frosty, over whether it's even safe to put Zane back into training, nevermind actually fighting!

Right as Kai was about to grab Zane's arm and screw it behind his back, his fist lashed out and embedded itself in Kai's gut.

The Fire Ninja gasped at the shock, not so much the pain. He had been quiet, right? He didn't have time to think as Zane went for anther punch. Kai managed to doge this time, and grabbed his wrist, pulling his most able arm behind his back and wrapping his other arm around Zane's neck, his elbow keeping the Ice Ninja trapped against his chest.

Kai was too in shock and too busy replaying it to realize that he was choking the Ice Ninja. After Zane could feel himself running out of air, he kicked the Fire Ninja's shin, and Kai let go with a rushed apology.

"You got me right in the gut back there. I wasn't expecting it," Kai chuckled.

"I surprised myself too," Zane replied hoarsely, rubbing his throat. "I also wasn't expecting to be suffocated."

"Sorry, I started zoning out at the wrong time. You wanna join Cole at the pond?"

"It would be my pleasure," Zane nodded. "So, where exactly is the area in question?"

"I got it. I'll just lead you there," Kai nodded and grabbed Zane's forearm, pulling him along as he hurried into the woods.


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh boy. This one was a real doozy to write. This was sort my inspiration when I began the story. Enjoy the latest (depressing) chapter. Thanks for all the support! (insert heart emoji here)**

* * *

Later that night, Zane laid in his bed, wide awake. His mind racing at a million miles an hour, he couldn't find it in him to fall asleep. _If you can't train as a ninja, what good are you on the team? They're just keeping you around to be nice. Once you recover enough, they'll send you away. So pathetic, you can't even walk without hurting yourself. Such a useless waste of space. You deserve to-_

Zane shook his head. He snapped out of whatever depressing trance he was in, and sighed. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well get up. Zane carefully stood, opting out of wearing his slippers, fearing that they might wake his brothers up. So he padded down the hallway in bare feet, trying to remember how many doors down the kitchen was. He guessed it was five, and counted silently to himself, letting his fingertips brush the smooth wooden doorframes.

He cautiously stepped into doorway number five, fearful that he had counted wrong and that he was about to awaken a very sleepy Lloyd. To his relief, he felt the granite countertops a few feet from the entrance. It wasn't until he reached for a cup and held it in his hands did he realize he was shaking. _Is it the cold or the invasive thoughts?_ Zane pondered as he felt for the hot water faucet.

He successfully filled his mug with hot water and felt around for the can that contained his favorite tea. Mint with a touch of lemon. He realized with a frown that there was no way of telling the cans apart, so he chose one at random and hoped it wasn't Kai's chili-chai brew. To his relief, he smelt the tea bag and found Jay's blackberry herbal tea, which was what he usually had if his supply was low. He let it steep, focusing on the sounds that bled in from outside.

Crickets chirping. The faint hoot of an owl. The wind whistling ever so quietly through the slightly cracked open window. Zane sat in silence, trying to still his frantic heart, the palpitations doing nothing to help ease the trembles that wracked his body. He tentatively raised the cup to his lips a few minutes later, pleased to find that the tea was at an adequate temperature for consumption.

The mug in his hands spread some warmth throughout his body, the steam curling around his nose and eyes, and he could feel the condensation forming in his eyelashes. He swiped at his face, and was surprised to find the remnants of tear tracks on his cheeks. Was he crying earlier? If so, he didn't remember it. Setting his mug on the table, Zane rested his forearms in front of him and buried his face in his sleeves. There was no way to tell how long he stayed like this, shaky, uneven breaths making his throat clench up and his eyes tightly squeeze shut, in case stray tears decided to leak their way out of his broken eyes.

He decided that the stuffy interior of the Destiny's Bounty was too suffocating, and felt his way outside, relieved when the cold wind nipped at his face. He felt a sudden longing to look up and see the thousands of stars shining above him. If what was said was true and they were practically in the middle of nowhere, then the night sky should be magnificent at this time of year. Zane sat, curled up against the tip of the Bounty, where the wooden dragon could hold up his head.

Zane was suddenly aware of how _small_ he felt, knowing that there was a massive sky looming overhead that couldn't been seen, knowing that there was a large open deck in front of him and rolling hills and plains below him. The thought only made him curl in tighter, His fingers clutching at his clothes with such intensity that he was certain his knuckles were turning white.

The intruding thoughts began to return, and he couldn't find the strength within him to banish them. So he sat there, and let his mind tear itself apart. Zane felt his shoulders shake with the effort it took not to cry again. What would the others say if they saw him like this? Would they be pitiful? Confused? Disgusted, even? It was frightening that it was this difficult to rid himself of the feeling of dread that seemed to be filling his bones like lead.

He almost wanted to wake one of his brothers, just to destroy the aching loneliness that resided in his heart. But that required deciding which one to wake and then having to explain why he need them at the very moment, enough to disturb their sleep. Zane knew how precious a good night's sleep was to the rest of the crew, although he never quite understood it himself. Sleeping was nice, of course, even needed, but the others had joked about harming anyone who awoke them enough where Zane wondered if sleep was more than just a way to reenergize to the crew.

No matter the case, he decided it was safer to stay on the deck alone then to risk angering one of his brothers. So there he sat, the cold numbing his bare feet and hands, red dusting his cheeks, his sense of self worth wasting away with every self-deprecating thing his mind could throw at him. So it was there, with tears threatening to spill over his tightly shut eyelids, that Zane was finally able to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Two updates fairly close to each other? What is this witchcraft?! Anyway, here's where the story really picks up and isn't just Zane having a pity party for himself on the deck of a flying ship. Ok, that sounds mean. Thanks for all the support on the last chapter! And in answer to those who said it made them cry, I will admit I got a bit choked up writing it. Whoops. Enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

"Oh Zane..." Cole shook his head. He had just discovered the Ice Ninja curled up on the cold wooden deck, head buried between his knees and his entire body shaking from the cold. He had gone out on the deck for some early morning peace before the others woke up, but he wasn't expecting to see Zane asleep on the floor.

He carefully walked over, and gently shook Zane's shoulder, and he stirred just enough to let Cole know he wasn't dead due to the cold.

"Who's there?" He asked sleepily, his arms only wrapping harder around his knees to keep out the biting wind.

"Cole. What the heck are you doing out here?" He crouched down to the Ice Ninja's level, who shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep."

"So why come out here? It's freezing and the deck is a lot less comfortable than your bed."

Zane didn't answer, instead propping his head on his knees. He unwrapped himself a little, as if intending to stand up, but quickly closed back in, the chilly air uninviting.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me why then I'm not gonna pry, but you should really get inside," Cole took a hold on his arms, ready to help him up, and the Ice Ninja showed no resistance. When he was standing, arms wrapped around his torso in a desperate attempt to get warm, Cole thought of another question.

"How much sleep have you gotten over the past few days?"

Zane just shook his head in response.

"Why? I mean, nightmares, or just not being able to fall asleep, or what is it? You need rest, Zane," Cole gently guided his friend towards the entrance to the rest of the Bounty. "We can go to my room if you want to talk."

Zane just shrugged again, and Cole sighed.

"Well, I'm taking you to my room anyway. You're freezing."

Zane showed no signs of resistance once again, and let Cole drag him to his room, the slightly warmer interior of the Bounty allowing his fingers and toes to thaw.

"Alright, um, I don't know, I have a few blankets if you want," Cole offered, hoping to get a verbal response. But, once again, Zane didn't say anything, instead just wringing his hands in his lap while he sat on Cole's bed.

"Frosty, you're killing me. And yourself, if you keep sleeping outside like that. If it's only autumn and it's already this cold, think about what it'll be like in a few weeks. Just tell me what's wrong, and maybe whatever's keeping you awake at night will leave you alone," Cole said gently, slowly sitting down next to Zane, who looked hesitant.

"Am I still a ninja, Cole?"

"What?"

"I can't train with the rest of you, and I certainly can't fight. Am I still a ninja?"

Cole just stared at his friend, his mouth hanging open, wanting to say something but not knowing what. Eventually, he spoke up.

"We talked about this a bit ago. Um, we're not exactly sure you should be training yet, but we still count you as a ninja. It's like that time when Jay broke his arm doing that stunt with Kai and couldn't train for a few weeks. He was still a ninja, even though he wasn't actively fighting."

"But this isn't a broken arm, Cole. I'm blind. This is permanent."

"I know, Zane. I know," Cole said quietly, and the two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. "You should probably talk to Sensei if you're having doubts."

"Noted," Zane slowly nodded, and stood.

"Where're you going?" Cole asked as Zane went to walk.

"Outside to meditate. Thank you, by the way," Zane nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face as he turned to Cole before walking out into the hallway.

Zane felt his way to his room first, grabbing a jacket and his shoes. Once he was ready to brace the cold, he meandered down the hall, not as worried about waking people up now that it was morning.

He felt his way around the deck, until his fingers clamped around the thick metal that held the anchor in place. Taking a deep breath, he stepped off the side of the Bounty, clinging to the chain once more. Once he reached the same spot as last time, he knew to slow himself down earlier, to avoid the foot pains that came with ramming into the packed earth too fast.

Once his feet touched the grass, he headed in the same direction he remembered walking only a short while ago, and reached the tree line, his boots snapping twigs beneath his feet as he felt his way through the forest. He walked for a few minutes, listening to the birds chirping and the wood crackling under his weight.

 _Good thing there are no enemies around, otherwise I'd-_

Zane's thought was cut off by the sound of branches breaking to his right. He stopped, and listened. Too heavy to be a rodent like a squirrel or a beaver. His heart pounding, he realized that he had left his weapons back at the Bounty, probably not his smartest move.

Too busy mentally cursing himself, he almost missed the sharp whistle of a blade narrowly missing the side of his face. He heard it lodge in a tree, and then he started to panic.

"Guys! I-" He called uselessly, before being cut off by a scaly hand clamping around his mouth. He heard a loud buzz, and shocks ran through his body. He jolted, and he fell into his captor's arms, now unconscious.

"It's about time. I can't see why Garmadon just doesn't have us kill him," Skales hissed, dropping Zane's body to the ground.

"Same here. These ninja are a real pain in the tail," Skalidor agreed, signaling to two other serpentine to come over and carry the body.

"We could just carve it out right now. It'd be more efficient than whatever Garmadon has planned," Skales rolled his eyes. "Scrap the thing and we have one less enemy to deal with."

Skalidor nodded. "Do you think he has any other useful parts in him?"

"Who knows? Maybe he'll let us tear him apart when he's with him," Skales chuckled. "But for now, let's just see what Garmadon has planned."

The two chatted all the way back to the hideout, an unconscious Nindroid in tow.


	7. Chapter 7

Silence.

A few weeks ago, Zane would be thrilled to have a long stretch of time devoted to himself and his thoughts. But when he was in an unfamiliar environment and chained to a wall, he couldn't really say he was enjoying it. He also felt very exposed, since between the time he had been knocked out and when he woke up someone had ripped the access panel on his chest and stomach off, leaving all of his inner workings out in the open.

The only sounds he could detect were the occasional shuffle of his clothes on the what he presumed to be stone floor and his rather nervous shaky breaths. How many hours had it been? It couldn't have been too long, but it was hard to tell if he was knocked out for a few hours or a few days. Zane let his head fall back against the wall behind him, and tried to still his mind. Maybe he could figure out how to break free if he just concentrated...

The sudden clang of a door being opened made the Ice Ninja jump. He tried to maintain an indifferent expression, but he must've failed because he heard his captor chuckle. Zane felt his gut twist, much like it did when he felt an enemy sneaking up on him from behind, or when there were enemies waiting for them behind some foliage. Danger. A warning signal in its purest form of get-the-heck-out-of-there.

He gulped, wishing the chains he was trapped in didn't stifle his elemental abilities so he would at least have some chance of escaping wherever he was. His natural sense of danger only worsened when he recognized that laugh, and it was the last person in Ninjago he wanted to be at the mercy of.

"How've the last few weeks been for you?" Garmadon smirked, and settled down in front of Zane, sitting cross-legged on the cold floor.

Zane didn't answer, and his stomach remained twisted in whatever knots it had contorted itself into to warn the Ice Ninja.

"Not up for a chat? Well, I guess I'll get right down to it. You're not here because I like playing prisoner exchange. Your team has nothing I value. Well, except for Lloyd, but that's a whole different story. You're here because _you_ have something I want. Something your eye cameras can't give me. But first..."

Zane felt something nudged into his hands. He felt it, and realized it was a bottle of something.

His confusion must've shown on his face, because Garmadon chuckled once more.

"Just drink it, it won't kill you. If I wanted you dead yet you'd be nothing but a heap of scrap metal."

Zane noted in his mind the inclusion of the word _yet_ and cautiously unscrewed the cap, smelling the contents. It smelled familiar, but it was such a strange scent that he had a hard time placing it.

"Either you drink it all willingly or I force it down your throat," Garmadon threatened, and Zane hesitantly raised the bottle to his lips, bracing himself for whatever was inside.

Garmadon watched with amusement as Zane took a sip of the substance, and he discovered that it didn't taste terrible.

Zane went to pick the cover back up, deciding that one sampling was enough, but was stopped by Garmadon reaching over and pulling a lever, which took away any slack the chains gave the Ice Ninja.

Zane gasped in alarm, a few drops of the substance dripping onto his hand. It suddenly clicked in his mind what he had been given.

 _Oil._

That explained why he could remember the smell but not the taste. Who would ever taste oil? It was something that you use to make sure your car is working properly, or that your lawnmower didn't burn up, and... oh.

The rather degrading aspect of the situation hit Zane pretty hard. He didn't have much to think as he felt the bottle being ripped from his hand. Garmadon huffed in annoyance, turning to Plan B instead, which was to practically drown the Nindroid in the black substance. Zane saw this coming, however, and clamped his mouth shut tightly.

"Come on, Zane. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner I leave you alone," Garmadon coaxed, but Zane stood his ground. "Alright, have it your way."

Zane barely had time to think about what that statement implied before he felt electricity rip through his body. His teeth clenched with the effort it took not to gasp or cry out. There must not have been as strong of a current as last time, as he stayed conscious, but enough where he had to let his body go limp, because resisting the urge to open his mouth as gasp for air sapped all of his energy.

"Are you sure you still want to be so defiant?" Garmadon tilted the Ice Ninja's head up with his fingers, anticipating a no. But Zane didn't let up.

"Fine. Be that way. I'll leave you alone today, but don't expect me to be so nice tomorrow," He let the Nindroid's head drop, his shaky breaths and overall weakness cluing him into the fact that another shock with that strength would most likely kill his captive.

Although Zane heard footsteps leave and the door open and shut, he kept his guard up anyway, cautious of any schemes. Why he was almost force-fed oil was a still a mystery, but whatever the purpose, he sure it wasn't for his benefit. His arms were already sore from being pulled, and his legs were asleep from being cramped up for who knows how long. The feeling in his gut was disappearing, being replaced with the pain that one would experience after being shocked. He allowed his weariness to consume him, drifting off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Do you know where Zane is? He told me he'd help me with creating ice sculptures today, and I can't find him anywhere."

"He's not in his room?"

"Nope. He's not in the kitchen either. Or the dining room."

"Have you asked the others?"

"Well, no."

"Lloyd! Sensei! I can't find Zane anywhere. He said he was going into the woods to meditate for a bit, and I can't find him anywhere!"

"And you let him go alone?"

"The poor guy was already feeling useless as it was, I didn't want upset him more by following him around like a babysitter!"

"This is serious! There's a fine line between being overbearing and being rightfully worried."

"Stop arguing. Lloyd, you check the pond. Cole, you take the northern forest."

"Yes, Sensei."

"Right."

"..."

"Please don't let this be what I think it is."


	8. Chapter 8

**Heyo!** **Another chapter, coming at ya! If you're missing your daily dose of Zane, go check out my other piece, Robot One Shots. I promise less angst than this story. But maybe only by a little. ;) Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

Kai repeatedly banged his head on the table. The rest of the team wasn't doing much better.

"I can't believe this. We're such horrible friends," Jay grumbled, burying his face in his hands.

"Where the heck could he be? I mean, he wouldn't just wander off by himself like that. He's smarter than that. The Serpentine got him, but where could they possibly be keeping him!" Cole sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I mean, they don't even have a fortress! I guess the closest thing they have is a Serpentine tomb, but why would they ever-" Jay shook his head, and Lloyd gasped from the back. Having not spoken in over an hour, most of the team had forgot he was there.

"The tombs! He must be in one of them. As much as I hate to think this way, which one is the most effective for keeping a ninja captive?" The Green Ninja ran to the computer, and pulled up the map of the five tombs, and the others became quiet as they thought.

"Well, the Hypnobrai one is super cold, but I don't think holding Zane in a cave of ice is the best strategy," Kai frowned, pressing a button and marking the location with a big red X.

"Constrictai is really inconvenient. I mean, it's up a mountain," Jay followed suite.

"Fangpyre's in a graveyard. It's an option," Cole offered, and the team murmured agreements.

"Venomari has frightening implications. You know, with the whole surrounded by corrosive acid thing, and Zane being blind just adds to the list," Lloyd looked back, and his friends nodded grimly, going to fetch their weapons. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Zane had no idea where he was. Alright, so maybe that had become more of a normal thing now, but it was still unnerving to have no information on your surroundings. All he knew now was that he was tied to a chair, and he had no recollection of how he got in this situation. Other than that, it was deadly quiet and had been like that since he had come to.

Zane decided to try his luck.

"...Hello?"

No response. Great. He decided to try and not focus on how exposed he felt with his hatch open, and the fact that he could almost hear his power source ticking since he was so nervous. He instead tried to focus on escaping once again. He focused all of his strength into his left arm's restrain. His joints creaked and screamed with the effort, and he eventually went lax after it stayed put.

"Going somewhere?" A voice sounded from behind him. Skales.

Zane didn't answer, instead trying to look as unaffected as he possibly could in the moment. A cold hand gripped his chin, and he heard the snake's tail sliding across the floor.

"Such a shame Garmadon won't let me tear you apart. I reckon some of the parts you have in there are quite valuable," He dragged his nails along the edges of the Nindroid's gears, and he tried his hardest not to flinch at the unwelcome touch. He must have failed, because Skales chuckled darkly, digging his hand a little deeper. Zane gasped, his captor's hand closing around a wire.

"Let. Me. Go," Zane said with the most conviction he could muster, but Skales only sneered.

"The day I willing let you go free is when you're nothing but a pile of useless parts sitting in a scrap heap," He began to pull, and the sharp pain that shot through Zane's body made him grit his teeth together to stop himself from making any sound.

"What's the matter, snake got your tongue?"

With a sickening pop, the wire was pulled from its place on one end, and Zane felt the loss of touch in his right hand. With another sharp tug, Skales was now rolling the wire in his fingers, examining it.

"I wonder what that did," Skales mused, tracing his fingers along Zane's wrist until he felt the small slit for his wrist panel. With a click, the latch releases, and the snake traced over the buttons, wondering what code to try.

Zane's breath hitched in his throat as Skales punched in a few digits, and an annoyed huff told the Ice Ninja that it had given him an error message. He clicked the panel shut, deciding to not waste his time, and moved back to the main panel.

"What should I try next, this wire?" He gave a tug, and Zane inhaled sharply at the discomfort. "Or this one?" He pulled a little.

Whatever Skales had tugged on made Zane jolt, muscles tensing. Zane had an idea of what was tied to that wire. _Voice._ Sitting right above his power source, it connected his voice box to his heart, allowing the energy to let Zane speak.

With a smirk, Skales decided to try the last one, and Zane couldn't stop the yelp that flew from his throat that was abruptly cut off as his voice was ripped away from him. Surprised by the sudden change in volume, Skales poked around a little more and discovered for himself what the wire did.

"Oh," The snake grinned maliciously. "That was your voice. Good thing you don't need that, right? Not like anyone here will bother to make conversation with a useless droid."

After a while of digging around in Zane's insides but not being able to do much damage, Skales grew bored and left, leaving Zane feeling alone, helpless, and violated. The Nindroid moved his hand, but feeling no sensation from where it made contact with the metal chair, gave up trying. He just hung his head and tried not to think about what Garmadon and Skales had in store for him in the days to come.

* * *

"Everyone ready to leave?" Cole scanned the team quickly, and received nods from all of them. "Alright. Remember the goal. This isn't about the number of snakes you're able to fight, this is about quickly and preferably quietly getting Zane the hell out of there. Any questions?"

"Nope. Let's go," Jay grimly smiled, and leapt out of the Bounty. As he fell, he sighed. Even trying as hard as he could, he couldn't silence the little part of him that told him that Zane was already gone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Sorry for no updates for so long. Been busy prepping for midterms. Hope you guys enjoy the latest installment!**

* * *

Zane could only grit his teeth and try to break the bonds as he felt a hand wrap around his power source.

Earlier that day, he had been moved into a room where he was surrounded by the sounds of gears and clicks and the occasional conversation as some Serpentine inspected whatever he was listening to. He wasn't in a chair anymore, but he was on some sort of metal, because it was cold enough to make the Ice Wielder shiver as he was pressed up against it all day. A few hours later, Garmadon and a few snakes had walked in and rummaged around in his chest and pulled out a few more wires, so Zane had definitely been in pain for the majority of his time in this room.

But Zane had never felt anything like this before. He could feel the wires ripping holes in his chest as they clung desperately onto his power source, the disc causing sparks to rain from his chest. Shocks of pain shot through him as he felt the power draining from his limbs and mind as the wires disconnected. His movements decreased in power and frequency, as the Nindroid was fighting for enough power to even move. A few more tugs, and the last threads holding the disc to him snapped.

Just like that, Zane Julien was dead.

* * *

Jay groaned in disgust as acid bubbled near his foot and popped, nearly burning him.

"Let's just get in there, get Zane, and get out," He grumbled, carefully treading from rock to rock as the pools of acid hissed.

"Agreed," Kai used his sword to flick a beetle off of his foot, and followed behind the Lightning Ninja.

The two others didn't add. Lloyd was too busy trying to work out what his father's scheme was, and Cole just felt horribly guilty and wasn't in the mood for conversation.

After knocking a few Venomari snakes into the acid pools, they reached the entrance to the tomb.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Kai sighed, grabbed hold of a vine, and dropped down into the depths. The others followed close behind.

They weren't prepared for what they saw when they arrived. Nothing.

"What?" Jay exclaimed angrily as he inspected the tombs. "How could they not be here! There were snakes up around the entrance and everything! I'm calling BS on this one guys," He leaned up against one of the many panels in the wall. "Bull. Shi-"

He never got to finish his sentence, as the rumbling of the panel sliding up drowned him out. In its place stood an empty hall, with torches lighting the sides.

Kai laughed, despite the circumstances. "What were you saying there?"

Jay grumbled something incomprehensible and headed down the hall, the others close behind. They eventually reached a scrap room where boxes of discarded gears, bolts, and screws lined the walls. If Jay wasn't so nervous, he might've been impressed.

"Wow, what a dump," Lloyd looked up and down the rows of boxes. "Only Jay's parents' place could rival this amount of scrap."

"Let's just go," Jay motioned, and they moved on, navigating the halls of the underground base.

* * *

Meanwhile, Garmadon slid the disc into its place. The power source lit up the area around it, sending blue power pulsing through the device. He adjusted a dial, and pressed the trigger. A ray of ice shot out, coating the back wall in frost. He turned the dial back and grinned.

"Perfect. Now, if I do hear right, I suppose those are the ninja wandering the tunnels?" He asked Skales, who nodded.

"Would you like me to dispose of the body? Or I could always grab some more parts," The snake suggested maliciously, and undid the bonds holding the deactivated Ice Ninja.

"Take it away, but then come back. I wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun," Garmadon chuckled, and turned his attention back to his weapon. He lifted it close to his eyes, and peered through the targeters he had installed.

Finding that they worked, he lowered the gun and waited for Skales to return. A few minutes later, Skales plus a few more snakes joined Garmadon once again, and the footsteps in the halls surrounding them drew closer.

The ninja burst into the room, expecting another vacant cavern, only to be surprised to find people inhabiting the area.

"Garmadon," Kai drew his sword, and the others followed with their respective weapons.

"Just tell us where Zane is and we'll take him and leave you alone," Jay declared, and Garmadon laughed, raising his gun.

"I'm afraid your worries over your friend aren't your biggest problem right now," He smirked, and twisted a knob, coating the entrance way the Ninja had come from in ice, blocking escape.

"What? How did you-?" Kai asked before having to duck as the gun was fired at him next.

It was when Jay gasped that Kai understood. Lodged into the side of the gun, pulsing with blue energy, was Zane's power source. The gun was fired again, and Cole shot up a rock just in time for it to be coated in frost, spikes of ice pointing dangerously past the stone.

Garmadon frowned and twisted the dial again. Two spheres protruded from the side of the device, and Garmadon smiled as it happened.

"Automatic tracking. Another gift your friend supplied us with," Garmadon fired again, and Kai dodged just in time of the first blast, but the second one fired immediately after froze his feet to the ground. The Fire Ninja glanced around. Lloyd and Cole were now busy with some Serpentine, and Jay was fighting Skales.

One more twist of the dial and pain flared in Kai's chest. It only lasted for a split second, but Kai collapsed after it was done. He weakly touched his hands to the ice to thaw it, but no heat gathered in his fingers. He glanced up to see Garmadon smirk at him and fire the gun somewhere else. Only this time, fire erupted from the end.

The realization hit Kai like a truck. Garmadon had just stolen his element.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I know this one seems like the final chapter, but it's not! I'm writing a few chapters of epilogue after this that's going to be a bit more slice-of-life style, so stay tuned for that! I'd like to thank you all for your support, and that I smile like an idiot at every single amazing thing you guys say. Enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

"Guys!" Kai croaked out as he struggled to hold himself up. "Garmadon stole my element with the gun! Cole, watch-!"

His warning was interrupted by a zap as Garmadon fired again, and Kai saw Cole crumple to the ground, barely conscious. Garmadon pointed the gun at the ground and fired, and a large earthquake immediately shook the area. Jay saw the blast before it hit and dodged, rolling out of the way as a stalactite crashed and shattered where he was standing. He and Lloyd now faced Garmadon alone.

"Lloyd, I have a really bad feeling about this," Jay gulped as Garmadon pointed the gun once again, and fired. Jay ducked as fire roared above his head, and Lloyd shot an ice blast at his father, only for it to miss.

"Between your brain and my power, I'm sure we can figure something out," Lloyd panted, firing electricity and missing again.

"Hey, I have power too, you know," Jay huffed, zapping a boulder into pebbles.

"Now's not the time for that. We've got the snakes out of the way. It's just us versus him. We can do it," Lloyd assured him. Jay rolled his eyes, but smiled at the Green Ninja nonetheless.

"Then let's kick some ray gun butt."

They rolled out of the way as a power-thieving ray struck in between them, both firing a retaliating shot. Jay with a large lightning bolt, and Lloyd with a fire blast. Garmadon put up an ice shield, and Lloyd frowned as his fire merely melted the barrier. It was when Jay shot an extra powerful bolt of lightning at their opponent that Lloyd got an idea. Jay seemed to realize it to, as he turned to Lloyd with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

"Shall we?" Lloyd held out his hand to the Lightning Ninja and Jay took it gladly, sparks flying where their skin connected. "Remember, aim for the gun."

"No," Jay forcefully pulled Lloyd back, shooting ice out of the air. "If we kill the gun, Zane dies with it, remember?"

"Right," Lloyd nodded. "My bad. Ready?"

"Yup," Jay raised their hands in triumph, and they both summoned as much electricity as they could, pouring it into the other person. With one last laugh, Jay summoned it and aimed for Garmadon's feet, trying to avoid the gun as much as he could. With a shout, Garmadon dropped the gun, clutching his sides as sparks rippled through him. Jay saw his opportunity and scrambled for the gun, but Garmadon saw that coming.

Knowing that the ninja would catch up to him if he ran, he decided that if he couldn't use his weapon, nobody could. He pressed a small button, and laughed as Jay realized what had happened. He ripped Zane's power source out of the device and scrambled away on all fours as he fell backward.

The weapon self-destructed, launching dirt and dust into the ninja's faces, causing them to cough and cover their eyes. When they opened them, Garmadon was gone, and Jay was clutching Zane's power source to his chest. Cole rose to his feet, albeit shaky, and found he was able to manipulate the earth again. Kai thawed the ice encasing his feet, and stood weakly as well.

"His eyes..." Jay picked up a completely shattered camera, so small it would look completely ordinary to anyone except mechanics. "Gone. There's no way to recover them."

Jay let the machinery drop, his face wearing a mask of sorrow.

"Let's go see if we can find him," Lloyd gently tugged at his friend, and Jay sighed, nodding.

After a long time of searching and hiding from snakes, they eventually found Zane on a workbench, hatch torn off and parts missing. Cole gingerly picked him up, cradling the Ice Ninja as though he would break at any moment.

They went back to the Bounty in silence, the only sounds being the methodical march of their feet and the wind whistling around them. Jay spent the whole time staring at Zane's heart, the blue energy pulsing and giving off a strange warmth for being the heart of someone with mastery over ice.

It was only when they reached the Bounty and Jay laid his friend out on his work table did he let the first tears fall. He buried his face in his arms, and cried, Zane power source laying a few feet away. He had failed him. He had one chance to get his eyes and give him back a normal life but he just let it slip away.

And now here he was, crying as his friend lay dead and broken on his work table, wires missing and scars from who knows what littering his arms. He knew it was stupid. He knew he was being irrational and Zane would just want him to shut up and-

With a sudden burst of energy, he grabbed Zane's heart and shoved it into its place, not caring about how broken his friend was or how much work needed to be done. All he wanted to do was see Zane again.

The Ice Ninja, realizing that he was awake and not tied down, sat up carefully, aware of every aching joint. Jay couldn't help but hug his friend tightly, and Zane, now sure that he was no longer in Garmadon's clutches, hugged back, letting the Lightning Ninja sob into his chest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! It's time for Zane's Therapy Chapter** **™, and the first part of the epilogue! Leave a review if there's a topic or idea you want touched upon, and I'll do my best to get to all of them! Thanks for all the support, and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It had been a week since Jay had announced that Zane was fully running. Zane was now spending every moment of his time basking in the sunlight, sitting on top of the Bounty and letting the breeze ruffle his hair, enjoying the freedom.

But now, the only light was the moon shining through his window, not that the Nindroid knew. He woke up with a gasp, shaking from the pain in his dreams. He had to run his hand down his stomach to remind himself that he was intact, that he was alive. His panel was there, his heart was functional, and his wires were all in place. But even so, the familiar feelings of worthlessness returned, and Zane stood, giving into the fact that he wasn't going to fall back asleep.

His breathing shaky, he padded down the hall in bare feet to Jay's room, or at least where he thought it was. He silently opened the door, thankful that the creaking hinges decided to be quiet for once. Jay made Zane promise to wake him up when he had nightmares so the incident with the deck would never be repeated, and Zane had reluctantly agreed. But as he shook the shoulder of the person in the bed and heard them wake, he realized he had entered one door too late.

"Who's there?" Kai blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "You better not- Zane?"

"My apologies, Kai. I meant to wake Jay. I'll just-"

"No, you can stay. I'm up now," Kai yawned, regaining his senses. "You alright?"

Zane shrugged, and Kai sighed softly.

"Nightmares again?"

Zane nodded, and the Fire Ninja felt a sudden pang of sadness for him as he stood shaking, clearly miserable.

"You want some company?" Kai asked, glad Zane couldn't see the blush that tinged his cheeks as he said it. He didn't think Zane would actually give in, settling next to him, simply sitting on top of the covers. Both ninja were silent, and Zane was sure Kai had fallen back asleep. So when Kai did speak again. he jumped.

"Do you wanna talk about it or something? I'm not really good at that type of stuff though, just warning you," He sat up, leaning his head back on the headboard.

"I don't mean to bother you, Kai. If you want to sleep I'll just-"

"Zane, c'mon, I'm not just gonna leave you like this. This is more than just the whole blindness thing, isn't it?" Kai put a hand on Zane's knee, and frowned when the Ice Ninja stiffened.

"What would you say if it was?" Zane let his head thump back on the headboard.

"Then I would ask you to talk. Sometimes talking about nightmares helps them to go away. That's what Nya and I did when we were kids and only had each other, and I promise you it works," Kai pulled his covers up over both him and Zane, and the Ice Ninja relaxed a little.

"Can you promise not to tell the others what I tell to you?" Zane asked, and Kai nodded, before realizing his mistake and answering vocally.

"Of course."

"Well, the first time I woke up, I was in this room with my hands chained to the wall. It wasn't tight, but stiff enough where I couldn't move more than a few feet. When Garmadon came in, he had a bottle of something in his hands, I wasn't sure what it was until after, but he forced me to drink some, and..." Zane paused, his voice catching.

"You ok?" Kai asked quietly as his friend clutched the covers so tightly his knuckles turned white. Zane nodded, and continued.

"It tasted strange, but I still couldn't place what it was. When I refused to drink more, he pulled the chains on my arms so I couldn't move and then I realized that it was oil. I had just been forced to drink oil and I was scared because it didn't taste _bad._ I found out later that it was because he wanted to see how my power source reacted to doses of oil, but I just felt so..." Zane trailed off, and Kai rested an arm over his shoulders.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to," Kai assured him, but Zane shook his head.

"And then, after I refused even more, he shocked me. I almost died, Kai. I stayed awake for a few seconds and then fell unconscious. And that's not even the worst of it," Zane clutched the pillow underneath him in his arms and rested his head on it, like a massive teddy bear.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kai asked, and Zane shrugged.

"I haven't been 'ok' since my eyes were scraped out of my head," Zane answered flatly, and Kai flinched. "The worst part was when Skales had me to himself. He started pulling out my wires and talking about how he couldn't wait to tear me apart when Garmadon was done with me. I just couldn't do anything but sit there and hope that he didn't hurt me more and I just couldn't take it. I've just felt so _wrong_ ever since, and sometimes I can still feel him just digging around inside of me, and-"

Zane was interrupted by Kai gathering the Nindroid in his arms and hugging him tightly. Zane, startled by the unexpected affection, took a second to return the hug, and let Kai hold him.

"You're safe here, Zane. Nobody's going to hurt you like that ever again. We won't let them," Kai said, and the Nindroid nodded into the crook of Kai's neck.

"Thank you," He whispered, barely audible, and Kai broke away from the hug only to sink down into his bed again.

"You're free to join me, Zane, but I get it if you want to go back to your room."

Kai was answered by Zane sinking into the spot next to him, letting out a content sigh.

"Goodnight, Kai."

"Goodnight, Zane."

And with that, both ninja were asleep, Zane sleeping peacefully for the rest of the night.


	12. Chapter 12

**Heyo! Just a warning, this chapter contains some attempted suicide stuff. No one dies, but just warning you guys. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Zane was bored. He was curled up on the couch, listening to his friends play the new Ninja Brawl and cheering as their digital counterparts smashed each other to pieces. He had almost fallen asleep a few times, then was startled awake by shouts and yelps. Even Nya was in the game as the elusive Samurai X, and was playing alongside them. The only character not being used was Zane's.

Sighing softly, he sat up and swung his legs over the couch, luckily missing the ninja seated below. He carefully and quietly shuffled out of the room, and the excitement didn't pause for a second as they ignored his leave.

With Sensei gone to buy more tea and everyone else on the Bounty beating each other to a pulp, Zane was truly left to entertain himself. He found his way outside, and leaned on the railing, knowing by the smell that they were near Ignacia, it's earthy scent being quite unmistakable. Kai and Nya's homeland was quite a sight, as he recalled.

Zane couldn't tell how much time passed. With no visual distractions, Zane spent a lot of time in his head, which wasn't exactly a good thing. On one hand, he found he was more concentrated during exercises and stretches, but on the other, his problem of overthinking situations had gone from a quirk to a much bigger part of his personality.

He was so lost in thought, ideas flying around in his head like a pinball, that he didn't hear Jay shouting his name until the Lightning Ninja grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away from the railing.

Zane jumped, pulling himself away and scrambling back a few steps.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you that bad," Jay apologized, and Zane released the tension in his muscles, ridiculing himself for having such an exaggerated reaction.

"No, it's fine. I shouldn't be so jumpy."

"Well, dinner's ready when you are."

"It's already dinner?" Zane asked, surprised.

Yeah. You've been out here for a few hours now," Jay eyed the sunset behind the Ice Ninja. He thought about mentioning it but dismissed the idea quickly.

"I have? Well, I suppose I zoned out for longer than I intended," Zane mumbled, and Jay grabbed his hand, pulling him along.

"C'mon, you'll like tonight's dinner, Kai made some teriyaki chicken."

Once Zane was seated and half-heartedly munching on a skewer, the others kept rambling on about the matches from earlier.

"I still can't believe Nya kicked my butt like that! I mean, I thought I was pretty good," Lloyd chuckled, and Nya smirked next to him.

"Like taking candy from a baby. I have to say, Cole's pretty good though."

"Really? I thought it was just a stroke of luck," The Earth Ninja smiled and Jay scoffed.

"A stroke of luck? You have the high score. I just think your earthquake attack is way overpowered. I mean, once you knock two people out of the game with a single attack, you know that's just broken," The Lightning Ninja laughed, and Cole just winked at him and took more food from the giant platter in the center.

Zane was beginning to get a headache. Who knew the team was so loud? Setting his empty skewer on his plate, he exited the room without ever saying a word. But this time, someone did notice.

"Zane? Where are you-?" Lloyd began, but the Ice Ninja didn't hear the end of the sentence as he shut the door behind him and headed for the bathroom to get some Advil.

Once he felt the smooth, cold tiles of the bathroom floor, he fumbled for the medicine drawer, only to find that all of the ninja's medicine bottles felt the same. His frustration mixed with his pounding head made the Ice Ninja sink down to the floor and bury his head in his hands with a cry of anguish.

Clutching multiple bottles of pills in his hands and in a pain-induced craze, he decided the best option was cracking open the covers and downing as many different types as he could, and had just started opening the fifth bottle, pills already in hand, when Lloyd cracked open the door.

"Zane, what are you doing?" Lloyd said in shock, and Zane's hand froze momentarily around the cap, the pills in his left hand threatening to spill over. Zane didn't answer, instead resuming his activities, opening the bottle and pouring a few orange pills into the growing pile.

"Are you _trying_ to die?! Give me those!" Lloyd practically lunged at the Ice Ninja, knocking over the bottles at his feet and spilling medicine onto the tiles. Zane flinched, Lloyd's yelling making his head pound. At the sudden pain, he threw the last of his common sense out the window and shoved the remaining pile in his mouth, Lloyd clawing at him, desperate to reverse his actions as he swallowed.

The last thing he remembered was Lloyd screaming for help.

* * *

The first thing Zane heard when he woke up was someone mumbling something about him being an idiot. Zane wondered where he was for a second before taking in what had just happened. He'd overdosed on pills. Right. His headache may be gone, but it was replaced with the feeling that his stomach was trying to turn itself inside out.

He reached up and rubbed his head, and somebody sighed of relief and rested a hand on his arm.

"Jeez, Zane, you can't do that."

"Lloyd?"

"Yeah."

So, the person had been identified. And it was the one who had tackled him as he stuffed an unknown amount of pills in his mouth. Great.

"Where am I?" Zane let his head fall back, and the pillow under him crunched.

"Ignacia Hospital. We were too scared to anything else other than hospitalize you."

"I- I don't know what I was thinking, I just-"

"Shh, Zane, it's ok. Nobody blames you, we're just worried. You almost just killed yourself. You were really close to the lethal amount. You took some heavy stuff," Lloyd shivered, looking at the machine hooked up to Zane that was supposed to be dosing him with pain medicine. But judging by the pained expression the Ice Ninja was wearing, it wasn't working.

"I guess I just thought that if I took a bunch of pills, one of them was bound to work, right? I wasn't really thinking about the amount I was taking," Zane pulled on his hair, trying to distract himself from the nausea. Lloyd grabbed his hands and kept Zane from hurting himself more, lowering them down to his sides.

"Zane, I know it hurts. I'll get the nurse and have him get some more pain killers, ok? Just... don't hurt yourself," Lloyd let go of his hands, and watched as Zane nodded slowly and sank deeper beneath the covers, curling on his side to try to stop the pain. Lloyd shut the door softly behind him, aware that Zane's hands had already found their way back to his hair.


	13. Chapter 13

**Here we are. The final chapter. I'm so glad you all joined me on this rather sad story that I fabricated sitting alone at my computer. This chapter is fluff. Pure, sweet fluff. I might have a cavity now. Enjoy the final chapter!**

* * *

Zane wasn't quite sure who he was entangled with, but they weren't complaining so he wasn't either. He had a guess that it was Cole, but the mystery person hadn't spoken recently so he was still very much in the dark.

The team grew rather possessive over Zane after he moved back to the Bounty, and he was only alone when sleeping in his bed. The team wouldn't even let him go outside unless there was somebody out there with him. As much as Zane was sure that it was all because they were scared he'd leap of the Bounty at a moment's notice, he enjoyed the company nonetheless.

And that same reasoning was why he was letting the mystery person wrap their arms around him as Zane felt his head move with the rise and fall of their chest, an episode of some show he didn't know playing in the background.

Just as Zane was drifting off to sleep, the mystery person decided to speak.

"How're you doing down there?"

So, it was Cole. Not entirely surprising.

"Fine."

Both ninja fell silent again, a laugh track playing on the show in the background in response to a joke that wasn't very funny.

"This is pretty bad, huh?" Cole joked, and Zane nodded against his chest.

"Even if my humor switch was on, this still would be quite the boring program," Zane agreed, and Cole switched the channel, falling on a baking show instead. The woman on the screen all too happy about strawberry cheesecake, Zane felt himself falling asleep again. Cole must have felt the heaviness, because next thing Zane knew he was being lifted into the air.

"Let's get you to bed," Cole said, and Zane pushed against Cole's arms.

"Cole, you don't need to-" Zane protested, but the Earth Ninja cut him off.

"It's fine, Zane. It's faster this way anyway," Cole insisted, and Zane sighed, letting his head fall back.

"I'm not a child. I'm at least somewhat capable," Zane grumbled, but went limp in the Earth Ninja's arms nonetheless.

"What do you mean 'somewhat capable'? You're fine," Cole realized that wasn't the strongest argument, as he was carrying the Ice Ninja to bed as if he had somehow lost the use of his legs as well as his eyes, but still meant it.

"Well, it's not like I can do much," Zane said, surprisingly annoyed for the Nindroid. Cole, shocked by his friend's change in tone, took a second to form a coherent response.

"You can do plenty, Zane."

"Like what?"

"Like..." Cole felt silent for a moment, thinking.

"Exactly. Good night, Cole," Zane said curtly and shut his door rather harshly. Cole hadn't even realized he had reached the Ice Ninja's bedroom and released him. Cole tried to counter, but failed, deciding instead to walk back to the game room, wishing he had just let Zane fall asleep on him instead.

Inside his bedroom, once he was sure Cole had left, Zane let himself slide to the floor, back up against the door. He thunked his head against the wood, and sighed. He had one chance at a nice, benign interaction with the ninja leader, but look where that got him.

He slowly stood and collapsed on his bed, not falling asleep but not exactly awake either. It was a while later when he heard a knock at his door that startled him out of his stupor.

"Come in," He moved a little to wake himself up more as the visitor entered. Zane didn't even need to ask who it was. "Hello, Cole."

"How did you know it was me?" Cole asked, surprised. He sat near where Zane's head was and the Ice Ninja gave a small smile.

"You have heavy footsteps when you're not trying to be stealthy," Zane sat up, his feet swung over the side of the bed.

"I guess you're right," Cole chuckled, and the light-hearted mood died soon after.

Zane started to shrink in on himself, shoulders curling in and legs hugging the edges of the bed, hands fidgeting slightly in his lap.

"Sorry," Zane mumbled.

"Don't you start. This isn't your fault. I guess... I don't even really know. I'm sure you've noticed the lack of solitude by now, so there's really no point in hiding it. We all just miss you, I guess."

"But I am right here, Cole. There's nothing to miss."

"We miss when you would actually talk to us and maybe joke a bit. We know that we're not exactly therapists and, well, you just tried to commit suicide by downing all of the pills we have, so we would appreciate a little bit of help."

Zane sat motionless for a few moments, soaking in Cole's words. The Earth Ninja held his breath.

"I..." Zane trailed off, clearly lost for words.

"It's alright, Zane. We're here for you, whether you like it or not," Cole slung an arm around his friend's shoulders, and the Ice Ninja leaned into it, his head thumping against Cole's shoulder.

Slowly but surely, Zane drifted off to sleep and Cole gently laid him down, afraid any more than that would wake him. He crept out of the room, remembering Zane's comment about his heavy footsteps, and went to talk to Jay.

"Has Zane talked to you at all over the past few weeks about his time at Garmadon's?" Cole asked, stepping into Jay's room.

The Lightning Ninja was on his bed, YA novel in hand, quite annoyed that Cole had interrupted his reading.

"Yeah, I made him promise to wake me up when he can't sleep so I can try to help him. Why?"

"It's just... I want to help him too, but I don't really know what's going on his head."

Jay pat the space in front of him as an invitation to sit, and Cole accepted quickly.

"Admittedly, I'm pretty sure Kai knows way more than I do. He says he promised not to talk about it, and so far he hasn't spilled the beans. But anyway, he could be doing better. There was some pretty dark stuff happening there as far as I know. Like, just seeing the damage from repairing him was freaking me out and I've seen the guy with blood literally streaming from his eyes."

"Too much." Cole flinched, the memories resurfacing in excessive detail.

"Right, sorry. But he was hurt really bad. The only real thing I know to be true about that place was that they shocked him really bad. He still gets a little nervous when he hears me use a bit of lightning." Jay said, and Cole fell silent for a moment.

"...Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"I have an idea."

* * *

The next night, Cole proposed his plan. Some were more eager than others.

"A massive... sleepover?" Nya said skeptically.

"Yeah, you know, like we push a bunch of mattresses together and have a good time. It'll be great!" Cole smiled, and Nya couldn't help but be swayed by the Earth Ninja's enthusiasm.

"I'm down." Kai shrugged, and Jay nodded in agreement.

Lloyd smiled, and Cole took that as a yes. Zane took a second, but nodded reluctantly.

"Great! Everyone grab as many blankets as you can carry," Cole ordered, and the team ran off to their respective bedrooms. Zane took a bit longer to gather his up, but brought them back regardless.

"I'll go cook a massive pot of popcorn," Kai offered, and ran out again, Nya following close behind him.

The rest started making the beds, piling blankets high in the game room, the TV playing music behind them, courtesy of Zane sitting next to it with a cord travelling from his hard drive to the television.

When the room was all set up and the popcorn made and salted, the ninja sat in a circle, laughing and stuffing as much food in their faces as they could fit. Even Zane was laughing at some of the jokes made, although his eating habits were a tad more civilized.

When it was actually time to go to bed, the ninja all took to their blankets, sandwiched together in a massive ninja pile. Zane ended up somewhere in between Lloyd and Jay, pressed up against Jay's back with Lloyd's hand touching his shoulder.

It was then that Zane realized the meaning behind the massive slumber party. This was the happiest he'd felt in a long time. And with a warm, fuzzy feeling residing in his heart, Zane slept peacefully, curled up in the pile of blankets and ninja.


End file.
